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Question
I am currently on my 3rd tour to Iraq. I have been in the Army for just over 5 years and will be getting out in 2 more. I was wondering how hard, if at all possible, is it to transition from active duty Army to the Coast Guard? I am also a 19D with airborne, air assault, and a bunch of other small schools that the Army has sent me too.
Hi Jon,
You can't simply "transition" from one active duty service to another.
In order to join the active duty Coast Guard, you'll have to first complete your Army enlistment, then be discharged, and then meet with a Coast Guard Recruiter and apply to join the Coast Guard as a prior service applicant (see my article at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/priorservice.htm).
You can beging talking to a Coast Guard recruiter prior to your discharge, but nothing "official" can be done until you've completed your Army enlistment, and are honorably discharged.
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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